How Rapunzel and Pascal Met
by amtserg
Summary: "Mother, can I have a pet? Please?"   "No"


1.1.2011

How Rapunzel and Pascal Met 

"Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine..." I heard mother sigh in content as I finished the song and I turned around to face her. She was always in a much better mood after she brushed my hair, which meant that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask her my all-important, life-changing question.

"Mother?"

"Mmm? Oh yes, thank you darling. You did a very good job."

"No, mother I wanted to ask you some-"

"Darling, could you please bring me my basket?" she asked as she rose from her chair "I'm making soup for dinner and if I don't start it now, it won't be ready until 9 o'clock"

"Of course mother. But I really wanted to ask yo-"

"Just bring it into the kitchen, would you?"

Grabbing the basket, I followed her into the kitchen. If I didn't ask soon, her good mood might go away and it had taken me weeks to even work up the courage to ask.

"Put the basket on the table then come over here an-"

"MothercanIhaveapetplease?"

"Rapunzel" she said roughly, slapping her hand on the counter "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, Mummy hates mumbling! Now, repeat what you just said."

"I…Mother, could I have a pet? Please?"

Mother stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before she asked "What?"

"I just get so lonely when you're not here and I just thought that maybe if I got a pet…"

"No. For one thing you are much too young to take care of a pet-"

"I'm twelve!"

"And for another thing" she continued over me "animals are smarter than they look! An animal could trick you into going outside

"But mother I-"

"Or leave the tower when we were sleeping to tell some ruffian where we've been hiding so that they can come cut your hair!"

By this point her voice had risen to a shrill shriek and she was waving her hands about in the air so vigorously that one might have thought she was trying to take flight.

"It doesn't have to be something big!" I argued "A fish couldn't leave the tower! Why can't we get a fish, I'm sure-"

"Rapunzel!" Her yell was so loud this time I jumped a little out of fright. "That is enough! This discussion is over!"

Her voice seemed to echo throughout the tower even though she had stopped speaking.

"Mother I…..I'm just get lonely sometimes. I…didn't mean to upset you."

She must have seen the tears that I was trying to hold back because she sighed and bent down to hug me as she said in a much softer voice

"I just want you to be safe. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I love you."

Sniffling, I mumbled into her shoulder "I love you more"

"I love you most. Now, let's get dinner started, shall we?" she patted me check as she got up and went to unpack the basket. "Rapunzel, why don't you go get the recipe book from the shelf?"

"Yes Mother."

I shuffled out of the kitchen still sniffling. No matter what Mother said, I didn't think that an animal would betray us like that. I'd been watching animals from my window for years and they seemed friendly and kind and-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mother's scream interrupted my train of thought "Rapunzel! Come quickly! RAPUNZEL!"

Running into the kitchen, I saw Mother standing on the table, pointing a shaking finger at a spot on the ground.

"There! Right there! It was hiding in my basket! Rapunzel, it tried to kill me! Get rid of it! Get it out of here!"

I looked at the spot where she was pointing but I didn't see anything. Creeping closer, I saw a shivering lump on the ground, the exact same color as the tile.

"Mother, I think it's just a chameleon...our encyclopedia says they're harmless…"

"Rapunzel, I don't care what it is! Just _get it out of here_!"

Gently scooping the little thing up, I couldn't help but feel bad for it. He hadn't meant to scare anyone. In fact, he was probably more scared of mother than she was of it. I walked out of the kitchen and placed him on the window sill. Slowly lifting his head, the chameleon looked around before it turned to look at me. He stared at me quizzically for a moment before he walked over to my hand and nuzzled it while turning the same pink color as my dress.

I pet the top of his head with my finger and he made what I assumed was the chameleon equivalent to purring.

"You're just a big sweetie, aren't you?" I asked "You didn't mean to scare anybody"

He stared up at me with his big green eyes.

I looked back into the kitchen. Mother had gotten off of the table and had started making the soup. She had to be wrong. This little animal would never betray our secret.

I looked down at the chameleon again. He was staring at the flowers on the windowsill and changing into their color.

"Would you like to stay here with me?" I asked him "To…to be my friend? I know we just met and all but..."

Rather than reply, the chameleon scampered up my arm to my shoulder and made that chameleon purring noise again.

"Rapunzel! What's taking you so long to get rid of that thing?"

"Nothing! I'll be right there!" I called before I looked down at the chameleon and asked "The only catch is that mother can never see you, ok? Can you do that?"

He looked at me like I was crazy before changing into the color of my hair so that he was almost invisible.

"Alright" I laughed "I get it. You're good at the hiding thing. For now though, you can just wait in my room while I go have dinner…oh, and I'll bring some food back for you too!"

The chameleon looked pleased.

Walking towards the steps, I murmured to him "Now all you need is a name…maybe...something that starts with a P?"


End file.
